Typewriter-carriage and parts acting in conjunction therewith



F. W. HILLARD. TYPEWRITER CARRIAGE AND PARTS ACTING IN CONJUNCTION THER EWITH.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 27, I919.

Patented Oct. 19, 1920. 3 SHEETSSHEET I. @29

I 37 3.9 Q Q 10 31, @W e I fi WWI ENTUR film, @IIW;

F. W. HILLARD. TYPEWRITER CARRIAGE AND PARIS ACTING m comuucnou THEREWITH.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

Patented Oct. 19, 1920.

APPLICATION fiLED FEB. 27, I9I9.

F. w. HILLARD. TYPEWRITER CARRIAGE AND PARTS ACTING IN CONJUNCTION THEREWITH.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 27. I9I9.

Patented Oct; 19, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

ATTO

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERIC W. HILLARD', OF TOTTENVILLE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF T0 MARY R. HILLARD,

OF MIDDLEBURY, CONNECTICUT.

TYPEWRITER-CARRIAGE AND PARTS ACTING IN CONJUNCTION THEREWITH.

Original application filed June 15, 1916, Serial 27, 1919.

writer-Carriages and Parts Acting in Conjunction Therewith, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention which forms the subject of the present application for Letters Patent is an improvement in front strike or visible typewriting machines and is embodied in a carriage for such machines in combination with means which effect its more perfect lateral travel and permit it to be moved away from its normal or printing position similarly to the carriages in other types of machine or blind typewriters heretofore in use.

It is very desirable, in a front strike typewriting machine that such provision be made as such lifting results in many and positive advantages. For example, it enables the repairman to more easily clean, adjust and repair the machine; it allows the operator to very readily clean the machine without calling in the repairman; to see through the observation windows the paper sheet down to its extreme end while such sheet is still under the control of the feed such erasure back rollers, and to roll the paper forward for observation and then back to proper position after determining how many more lines can be printed on the sheet. It further enables the operator to make erasures on the platen while lifted and to blow the fragments of rubber and paper produced by over the machine, instead of down into it. The ability to make erasures on the lifted platen bar, moreover, in the case of my improved machines, has the advantage that it permits erasures to be made down to the extreme end of the sheet, on both the original and carbon copy sheets, whereby the reprinting after erasure will appear in exactly the right place on all copies, both original and carbons, because it has not been necessary to revolve the paper on the cylinderand hence the great danger of having one sheet slip over the other in revolving the cylinder is avoided.

This ca iabilitv of llftln the carria e and 1 s platen requires the employment of special Specification of Letters Patent.

parts shown in Fig.

means for moving the latter laterally in feeding, due to the peculiar nature of the pivotal support of the carriage, and the invention involves, also, the means which I have devised for this purpose.

In the accompanying drawings, in which the above improvements are illustrated, I have shown a machine of the well-known Underwood type, to which the modifications or lmprovements hereinafter described are added, and it will, therefore, be understood that I have omitted detailed illustration of all such parts of .the machine as are unnecessary for showing the invention, thereby simplifying the description of the latter.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the complete machine. 4

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the carriage 1. This view also shows, in dotted lines, the position of the carriage when in elevated position and locked in such position.

Fig. 3 is a front view of the inner paper carriage and shaft-rail. In this view the outer or non-shifting carriage is shown in section.

Fig. 4 is a front view of the paper carriage in semielevated position showing the cooperating of cumming devices with the paper scales for preventing interference with the vertical movement of the carriage.

Figs. 5 and 6 are sectional views taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. f showing the operation of the said camming members.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the paper feed plate and the canuning members thereon. I

Fig.8 is a view in side elevation showing the operation of the typewriter ribbon caniming member.

Fig. 9 is a plan view of the front rail.

Fig. 10 is a sectional view of a detail, and

Fig. 11 is a modification of a swinging carriage pivoted on a rail instead of the truck of the other figures.

In the above drawings the preferred embodiment of my invention comprises a truck 1. Extending forwardly and upwardly from this truck are brackets 2 which pivotally support a shaft 3. This shaft forms a pivotal support for both the inner and outer carriage. The outer carriage which I also term the non-shiftable carriage because it is not raised for printing upper case Patented Oct. 19, 1920. i

No. 103,758. Divided and. this application filed February Serial No. 279,545.

riage to the truck entire characters, is shown at 4, and on this carriage are rearwardly extending lugs 5 which pivotally engage shaft 3, Fig.1. The inner carriage, also termed the shifting carriage, is shown at 6, and this carriage is provided with suitable brackets which Support studs that pivotally engage in the forward ends of the shift-arms 7. The bearings in the forward ends of these shift-arms 7 are closed over with caps 8 instead of being open as in the Underwood machine, since it is necessary that the carriage be retained in position when swung upwardly. The opposite or rear ends of the shift-arms 7, are fixed to the ends of the shaft 3 as shown in Fig. 1.

The inner shifting carriage is adapted to be vertically raised and lowered by any of the well known shift constructions, but as these form part of the prior art, being well known in the Underwood machine, further description or illustration thereof is Ibelieved to be unnecessary.

The front end of the provided with a supporting wheel 9, see Fig. 10, which travels on the front guide rail 10. It is also provided with a locking finger 11 which underlies a slot in the upper front rail 13. This is the usual construction. The hinge joint at 3 between the carriage and the truck permits the carriage to adjust itself to its position on the guide rail 10 and prevents friction by undue pressure against either of the front rails. j

In the usual Underwood "construction there is no part corresponding to the truck 1, the carriage being mounted upon a fixed guide rail at the rear of the machine. The advantage of the truck over the fixed guide rail is that anti-friction "devices may be more readily applied thereto. Furthermore. the hinging or linkingof the car 1 permits the latter to maintain its correct vertical position in the raceways containing balls 12 and at the same time allows the carriage to rest properly on the front guideway.

The truck 1 ismounted upon the machine frame in thefollowing manner. Two upwaidly-projecting arms 14 extend from the machine frame. Upper and lower raceway rails 15 and 16 are secured to these arms and are preferably adjustable to and from each other. It is manifest that in this machine the hinged or link connection at 3 between the carriages 4 and 6 and the truck 1 is of very great importance. The structure is practically a multiple bearing one, one of the bearings being the upper raceway 15 for the truck 1, the second being the lower raceway 16 for the truck and a third on the front support 10 for the carriage 4. There is also a fourth bearing point for the inner carriage 6; that is to say, the support wheel 17 resting on the shift rail 18. he structure, therefore, may be said to outer carriage 4 is' be a four point bearing one, so far as the running bearings are concerned, taking into account the truck 1, the outer carriage 4 and the inner carriage 6.

Another advantage of the ball-bearing 7 truck and linked carriage construction here shown is that this arrangement prevents the objectionable friction in the bearing heretofore present in these machines where no truck is used, and which is caused by the twisting pull of the main spring. In the present machine the. construction is such as to permit the carriage and truck to properly adjust themselves to their relatively correct positions without undue pressure and fricion 21 are out of line with each other.

Therefore, the main spring (not shown, but which is of the usual construction), through its connection with the carriage by the flexible tape 22, constantly tends to draw the rear part of the carriage forward,

or to the left, in the line of print, the carriage being restrained by the escapement pinion 21 and carriage rack 20, and released by the escapement for its step-by-step movement as the keys are operated. .construction it is obvious that there is never any slack in the movement of the carriage, while on the other hand, the carriage is held rigidly in line because the ball-bearing truck, being flexibly riage, is free of twisting strains and therefore the truck can be very closely mounted on the ball-bearings in the raceways.

It has been explained how the carriage link or hinge at shaft ward or upward strains from the carriages 4, 6, being transmitted to truck 1. to swing the truck bodily either forwardly or rearwardly out of its true vertical position in the raceways 15 and 16; and how the said 115 link thus serves to eliminate undue and objectionable friction from the ball-bearings; but the ball-bearings themselves from their very nature are also largely instrumental in eliminating friction the twisting pull of the main spring.

The carriage pull is at 22, 19 and the carriage hold is at 21, 20-the hold being out of line of the pull-and hence there is the same tendency of the main spring her i as 125 in said former structure to swing the carriage around at the rear with rack 20 and pinion 21 acting as the fulcrum. In the said former construction this resulted in objectionable friction and a tendency for the 130 The pull of the main 85 Under this connected with the car- 3 prevents all downin the bearings under yokes I are pinned to the ends is not shown to stickand bind on carriage rail.

ut the same objectionable result does not follow in my present structure. This is due to the different nature of the bearings in the two cases. mechanism was a sliding bearing of closely" fitting yokes on their guide rail, where any twisting pull caused greatly increased friction and the tendency for the yokes to stick and bind on the rail. In my present construction, on the contrary, the twisting pull of the main spring exerted on the carriage against the hold of therack 20 and pinion 21, cannot cause any detrimental friction in the ball-bearings. The twistin strain of the main springsimply presses t 1e bearingballs against the sides of the raceways. But the nature of the ball-bearings is obviously such that they roll equally well and easily and just. as antifrictionally on a vertical axis, as when the pressure is straight ahead; thus differing radically from the-mere sliding bearings of said former construction. In my present structure, therefore, there cannot be any binding or sticking under the twisting pull of the main spring, because the balls are ready to start rolling as freely and antifrictionally under the twisting pull of the main spring as under a direct pull, sosoon as the carriage is released for a for- In the former instance the "the upp It is suflicient to state that a flexible tape 22 connects the main spring with the outer ca rriage, the bracket for this connection being shown at 19.

By referring to Fig. 1 it will be seen that or front rail 13 is notched as shown at 29. This notch permitsthe nose of' looking finger 11 to escape from its normal position below the front rail 13 when it is desired to elevate the carriage. I preferably place the notch nearthe right hand end of the rail but-it may also be placed in other positions as hereinafter explained. The

usual Underwood margin stops may be emward letter spacing movement, each time a key is operated for printing.

As previously explained, the truck 1 travels between upper and lower antifriction or ball-bearings as shown, and the construction of these may follow the usual pattern although I have devised special bearings for this machine which need not be described in detail in this application. As also explained, the truck 1 has upwardly projecting arms or brackets 2, which pivotally support shaft 3. The lifting or shifting arms 7 of this shaft and the usual spring 25 is coiled about this shaft to assist in lifting the inner carriage 6.

I have heretofore stated that the main object of the present invention is the provision of a .transversely movable hinged carriage which may be swung up and maintained in an elevated position when desired. The raised position of the carriage is shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. From this figure it will appear that both the inner and outer carriages are mounted at their rear on shaft 3 and when elevated these carriages both swing about shaft 3 as a hinge pivot. In Fig. 2 the escapement is of the well known form used in Underwood machines. The carriage rack 20 is mounted upon pivoted arms 26 one of which hasanextension 27 forminga release key for the carriage. spring 28 maintains the rack in engagement with the pinion 21. The main spring which imparts endwise movement to the carriage but is of the usual construction.

' directly into ployed. Briefly stated these stops comprise abutment members 30 which can be set in any desired position. As the carriage advances a nose portion 31 of margin release lever 32 contacts with the abutment and prevents a further movement of the carriage t0 the right. the right it is necessary to depress the margin release lever and free the nose from the abutment, see Figs. 1 and 2.

When the carriage is in the position in which it may be lifted, it is raised by the operator, and in practice I employ special locking means which prevent it from being drawn to the left, and require it to be movedv only in a substantially vertical lane. Otherl devices not forming a part 0 my present invention are not described in detail, but for practical purposes may be assumed to exist. I also employ special means for locking the carriage in its elevated osition, but these also may be assumed wit out being specifically described. I have omitted, moreover, from the present description all reference to the means which I have devised foul-maintaining the proper relations of the two carriages-to each other when lifted and de pressed,- and shall confine the further description solely to those parts which enter t e subject-matter upon which this application is based.

The paper feed rolls and their mechanism are similar to those used in the U nderwood machine.

Referring particularly to Figs. 3, 5, 6, 7, and 8, 33 represents the paper feed plate and 34 are the usual paper scales in the Underwood machine. These paper scales are usually spring pressed toward platen roll 24 and on account of their posi- To further move the carriage to roll bending of the paper scale and friction and interference. v

I have also found that interference is apt to occur between the paper clip 37 and the ribbon 38 during the downward movement of the carriage from its raised position (see Fig. 8). The printing cylinder is normally in close proximity to the ribbon holder 39 and the ribbon 38 is held between the printing cylinder and the holder. The lower end iii of the paper clip is bent slightly outwardly away from the cylinder in order that the paper advancing from beneath the curved retaining plate 33 will be sure to feed in between the printing cylinder and the paper clip. Therefore in case the paper clip is in line with the ribbon holder, when the carriage is being lowered, as may be the case. the end 40 of the paper clip is apt to slide in between the ribbon holder and the ribbon. and pull and tear the ribbon thus making the machine operative.

In order to obviate the above difficulty, I provide a camming projection 41 on the feed plate which is adapted to force the ribbon back away from the curved end 40 of the paper clip (see Figs. 1, 2, 7 and 8).

I preferably provide the paper feed plate 33 with one or more slots 42. These slots enable the operator, by swinging the carriage to or toward its raised locked position, to inspect the work in the machine and determine how much space is left for writing when approaching the end of the sheet or card. These inspection apertures are of considerable utility in general writing and in tabulating work and on cards, etc., as they enable the operator to tell at all times just how much space is left for writing without removing the paper or card or feeding it forward or backward. They are particularly advantageous when employed in combination with means for locking the carriage back'on its raised position. for then the paper or card may be inspected throughout the entire length of the slots 42, for a considerable distance below the printing line.

I am aware that slots such as'42 have been employed heretofore and I accordingly make no broad claim to such slots. But my herein described construction differs from that heretofore employed in that in my structure the paper feed rolls 35are spring pressed against the printing platen at a line in ad vance of the front ends of slots 42. See Figs. 5 and 6. Hence in my herein described structure the paper or card is under control of the rollers 35 even when fed to the forward ends of slots 42. which is not true of the prior devices. Hence my device is an improvement over prior ones and I claim it as such.

It will be understood that I do not 'wish to limit my invention to a construction in which the carriages can be swung about their hinge pivot 3 only when in right hand position. The carriage can be swung up when in extreme right or in extreme left positions or both as desired. 'hen so constructed the upper front rail 13 is provided with an additional slot 43 at the left as shown in Fig. 9. hen this is done it is necessary to change the location of camming members 36 and 41 on feed plate 33 if the releasing slot 43 be used exclusively in raising the carriage. Or, preferably, these members are duplicated at both ends of the feed plate 33, then the carriage can be lifted at either end of its line of travel through slot 29 or 43. By so locating the camming members all interference with the paper scales and ribbon will be prevented.

It will be understood that the truck as an element in my improved machine is not of the essence of the invention, broadly considered, as the lifting carriage might be mounted on a sliding bar. (see Fig. 11) if the other means described be used to permit it to be freely raised and lowered without interference with the other parts of the machine. In other respects also the details of the construction may be greatly varied,

without departure from the invention.

I have, in the above description, referred to the ball-bearing truck 1 and the outer or non-shiftable carriage l, and the inner or shifting carriage 6 as the truck and the carriage. Broadly, of course, all three of these elements constitute the traveling carriage, and collectively they may be termed a ball-bearing linked carriage or a rollerbearing linked carriage, these being generic 'terms including the several elements.

This application forms a division of the application Serial No: 103,758, filed June 15, 1916, upon which issued Patent No. 1,296,957, on l\Iarch 11, 1919.

\Vhat I claim is 1. In a front strike typewriting machine, the combination of a movable carriage adapted to be lifted away from its normal position, a platen roll carried thereby, devices positioned in close proximity to the I platen' roll when the carriage and said roll are in their normal printing position, and means on the movable carriage adapted to engage with said devices and move them so as to clear all parts of said carriage upon the lifting movement of the latter, whereby interference therewith is prevented.

2. In a front strike typewriting machine, the combination of a movable carriage adapted to be lifted away from its normal position, a platen roll, a paper scale positioned in close proximity to the platen roll when the carriage and said roll are in their normal position. and a. (ramming means attached to the movable carriage adapted to engage with the paper scale and move it so feeding devices on said carriage, a paper movement of the latter,

close proximity to the as to clear the carriage upon the lifting whereby interference therewith is prevented.

3. In a front strike typewriting machine, the combination of a pivoted carriage, said carriage being adapted to be swung upwardly about itspivot, a platen roll,'paper scale attached on the frame of the machine and positioned in close proximity to the platen roll when the carriage and platen roll are in their normal printing position, and a camming means carried by the paper feeding devices for forcing back the paper scale with respect to the platen roll upon the pivotal movement of the carriage, whereby interference with the carriage is prevented.

4. In a front strike typewriting machine, the combination of a pivoted carriage, said carriage being adapted to be swung upwardly about its pivot, a platen roll, a paper feed plate on said carriage, a paper scale on the frame of the machine positioned in platen roll when the carriage and platen roll are in their normal printing position, and a camming means on the paper feed plate for camming the paper scale back with respect to the platen roll upon the pivotal movement of the carriage, whereby interference with the carriage is prevented 5. In a front strike typewriting machine, in combination, a movable carriage adapted to be lifted away from its normal position, a platen roll on said: carriage, a typewriter ribbon adjacent to the platen'roll, and cam-,

ming means on the carriage adapted to engage with said ribbon and prevent interference between the same and the carriage, during said lifting movement.

6. n a front strike-"ty ewriting machine,

means on the paper feed in combination, a carriage having a pivotal support at the rear thereof, whereby the entire carriage may be swung upwardly from its normal position of rest upon the front guide rail, a platen roll and a paper feed plate adjacent carriage, a typewriter ribbon adjacent to the platen roll, and camming means on the paper feed plate adapted to engage with said ribbon and prevent interference between the same and the swinging carriage.

7. In a front strike typewriting machine, in combination, a carriage having a pivotal support at the rear thereof, whereby the entire carriage may be swung upwardly from its normal position of rest upon the front guide rail, a platen and a paper feed plate adjacent thereto on said carriage, a paper scale, and a typewriter ribbon, both in close proximity to the platen roll when the carriage with said roll is in its normal printing position, and a plurality of cam-. ming means on said carriage adapted to engage with the printing scale and typewriter ribbon and prevent interference beto the roll, both on the tween the same and the carriage during. the

port at the rear thereof, whereby the entire carriage may be swung upwardly from its normal position of rest upon the front guide rail, a platen roll, a paper clip for said roll,

a paper feed plate adjacent to'the roll, both op, the carriage, a typewriter ribbon adjament to the platen roll and a camming plate cooperating with the paper clip and adapted to engage with said ribbon and prevent interference between the same and the swinging carriage.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

FREDERIC W. HILLARD. 

